Once you have published your Guide to Giving and Getting Involved and have identified your school’s volunteer needs, it is time to develop job descriptions for each position. Well-crafted job descriptions help you match the required work with qualified individuals. You also have a reliable estimate of the time, resources needed to be successful, and a set of metrics you can use to celebrate your volunteers’ success. Include the following points when creating your job descriptions.

We’re back to answer more questions we’ve received from teachers and academic administrators about the pandemic’s impact on teaching and learning. Many want to know what has changed since the pandemic began and where private schools are going from here.

The truth is, millennials will soon join (and in some lower school parent groups, even overtake) baby boomers and Generation X as the essential target audience for your school's enrollment—if they haven't already taken over this position. As the millennial generation continues to grow, you must adapt your enrollment strategies to appeal to this generation.

With all the time and effort your team puts into various marketing efforts—including emails, content marketing, social media marketing, print, partnerships, and more—you want to ensure your methods are effective. A great way to evaluate everything you share is through a marketing communications audit. A few weeks ago, we shared the four steps to conduct a successful marketing communications audit. Today we’re going to explore certain elements to ensure your audit is effective.

Like it or not, parents pay tuition to send their children to private schools—and often have high expectations for that expense. They want to feel cared for by the school—confident that their children will be better positioned for future education and job opportunities because they chose a private-independent school. This requires a focused mindset where faculty and staff have the skills and tools to support parents and students in every interaction. Creating a culture of customer service focus and effort starts with your school’s Leadership Team.

We worked with over 1,000 teachers in the summer of 2020 to help them strengthen their approach when it comes to distance or hybrid learning. Teachers continue to crave the same support, even in distance or hybrid learning environments. Here’s what our teachers shared about administrator actions that did (and did not) work to help them in their job roles.

Your strategically focused Board of Trustees is key to making your development programs effective and sustainable. When your Board centers on decision-making that is future-focused and viability-motivated, your school prospers—inspiring your donors and prospects to commit philanthropic dollars to your school. Your Board and Development Committee must work together to ensure the proper management of donors and prospects. Here's more about fostering the strategic role of an effective Development Committee.

ISM has long touted a two-pronged approach for effectively supporting teachers. One element of a supportive and predictable environment is that teachers know what is expected of them. They know the norms they’re supposed to follow—we call them Essential Expectations. The COVID-19 pandemic added uncertainty to the mix. Many of your Essential Expectations can still apply, but you may need to clarify certain elements.

The bottom line is school, as we once knew it, has changed. When COVID-19 happened, schools tried to use technology to mimic the school atmosphere as it has always been. Many schools followed the same bell schedule, simply "logging" in verses "walking" into the classroom. This proved to be ineffective, and students were disengaged. School Heads may be reluctant to eliminate synchronous learning because it helps occupy a student's time. However, it’s vital to implement concepts in a hybrid learning model.

Burnout continues to be a top concern for school leaders and teachers alike. In this unusual year, everyone is busy with both their day-to-day responsibilities and strategic concerns of the future. Remember, the primary job of academic leadership is to take care of teachers. This is especially important now. What can academic leaders do right now to support their teachers? We asked teachers and here’s what they had to say.